'This is an excellent introduction to Operations Management and a must have text for undergraduates. The book contains an array of contemporary, relevant and engaging cases which make the study of Operations Management both enjoyable and stimulating.' - Dr Des Doran, Brunel Business School, Brunel University, UK 'An enjoyable and engaging text that presents the subject in a way that is lively, interesting and most importantly understandable. Short cases and illustrations bring the subject to life and overall this is a very well produced book. What makes this text particularly appealing for lecturers/teaching staff is the amount of support available, including not only lecture slides and teaching notes obtainable online, but also workshops where you can meet the authors to discuss the book and receive practical advice about the best ways to use it with different types of students. I attended one such workshop and found it to be very interesting and highly informative. Recommended.' - Alex Gillett, Teesside University, UK 'The book is clear, accessible and engaging.' - Dr. Alessio Ishizaka, Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management, Portsmouth Business School, University of Portsmouth, UK 'Comprehensive and very practically appealing.' - Professor Luc Chalmet, Academic Director, Operations & Supply Chain Excellence, Antwerp Management School,University of Antwerp,Belgium 'Covers all the essentials in a very accessible way. The service operations content is very useful. Great for undergraduate and postgraduate audiences.' - Dr. John Mackness, Professorial Fellow, Lancaster University Management School, UK 'The tone and style of the text is ideal for students. The language is kept relatively simple and all terminology is promptly explained. I am a non-native English speaker myself, and found no problem with the text.' - Dr. Katri Karjalainen, Lecturer in Operations Management, Manchester Business School, UK 'The authors do an excellent job of integrating the service and manufacturing industry material for introductory courses in Operations Management at the graduate and undergraduate level in Business Schools. Further, the service and operations strategy chapters reflect the excellent background that the authors bring to the textbook.' - Professor William L. Berry, Fischer College of Business, The Ohio State University, US 'Books with the word 'Essentials' in their title are often just for undergraduate students and don't cover the more-advanced aspects of a subject. Neither are true for this book! In fact, its cases, topics and concise format make it ideal for an executive program as well. The book covers everything that you need to understand, or actually manage, operations. It is very engaging with real-world examples, an easy-to-read writing style and interesting cases. This makes it very different to most traditional operations textbooks. For instructors designing a program, there is an extensive array of teaching materials including slide presentations, case study guides, suggested course outlines, film study guides, and so on. The case study guides are especially good with excellent quantitative and qualitative analyses that really help bring out the key insights from the case. However, it is not only the content of the book that sets it apart. Its design also makes it engaging, interesting, readable and accessible. As we say in the U.S., Alex and Terry have hit a home run!' - Professor Jay Klompmaker, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, US 'This textbook focuses on the essential elements and key issues of operations management, giving learners at all levels an insight into the roles and responsibilities of operations management professionals; it cuts across all industrial sectors.' - Alex Douglas, Liverpool John Moores University, UK 'As organisations seek to improve efficiency and effectiveness, the focus on operations has never been so high. Essential Operations Management provides exactly what is described on the cover; an excellent guide to the new student of this field, authored by two of the most experienced minds in the field.' - Tim Last, Regional Managing Director, Duke Corporate Education